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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
G1 Jockey 3 Review, 16 Oct 2003
Bottom line : This game is not for everyone.... But if you are an avid horse racing fan like myself , chances are you'll love it. Basically the game is based around the life of a jockey as you start off as an apprentice and attempt to become champion jockey. As you begin the game there is a long and tedious tutorial on how to ride horses, (which is not as easy as you may think folks!!!) and how you have to negotiate with trainers to get better rides and build up trust with them by riding well for them. Fortunately this tutorial is optional and after you do it once you probably won't need to do it again. After this the real fun begins as you start off riding horses which could best be described as nags, but once you start doing well in your maiden races and Class D's you start being offered better Horses by the trainers at the end of every week. There are 4000 different horses in the game which are updated every year with new 2 year olds, so the lifespan of the game is well....endless as every year you want to be riding the best new horses. Horse racing fans will notice some famous horses which even with their names changed will still know..(ie. Neigh Chapparal, Loch of Gibraltar, Sulamadi) all of which have the same stable colours as they would in the real world. The Graphics are nothing amazing to write home about (still good though) yet after a brilliant ride you have the option of a Replay which really does look like a real Horse race with some wonderful camera shots. 7/10. The race itself is all about tactics as every horse has their own particular style of running (front running, hold up, out the back) aswell as having (or not having) some of the 25 individual horse attributes. You have to adjust bit levels, decide when to kick for home, break well, etc.. etc! 8/10 for actual gameplay. But thats not all... as you progress through the game you have the option of learning new jockey skills , riding horses to workout before races (which can have positive or negative effects). There is also 2 player battle mode. The only major let down for me was the unrealistic jump racing which is long , boring and uneventful with very few falls, and feilds never get strung out like real life. Also DONT START THE GAME ON EASY MODE!!!!. I think they made it a bit too easy...like when is a class D nag ever gonna beat Landseer? Other features include Jockey suspensions, stewards enquieries, ability to become stable jockey for horses you ride well plus more. Koei made this game for racing fans, so dont be bad mouthing this review if you dont like horse racing, I told you not to buy it. But for those racing mad computer game fans.... get out and buy this now!!!
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